Loanee Facundo Ferreyra made his debut in yesterday’s 3-1 win over Bundesliga club Schalke 04 in Germany.
Ferreyra has joined on a season-long loan from Shakhtar Donetsk with a view to a permanent move to St James’s Park.
The 23-year-old – who was reluctant to return to play for Shakhtar given the unrest in eastern Ukraine – is a friend of Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini, who recommended him to the club.
Alan Pardew: “Coloccini is well aware of him, and he had a big influence in Argentina.
“He went to Ukraine, but didn’t get many chances. He’ll get more chances with us.
“We think he is a player who will grow, and we have the option to take him on a permanent basis.
“We believe he will show the form from Argentina in the Premier League with us.
“We’ve always maintained that we will watch the window until the last hours.
“We’ve done some terrific business, and I think it must be exciting for Newcastle fans that we’ve got some terrific, offensive players.
“I feel much more comfortable with the team, and we can play a brand of football which is expected of us.
“I think we could really trouble teams this season, which is something we didn’t do in the second half of last season.”